EYBL Session II: Friday's Next 7 Best

<p>MESA, Ariz. — The NIKE EYBL circuit doesn't come this far west very often, so when a short drive to see some of the top prospects from across the country presented itself, we had to make the most of the opportunity.</p>   <p>Session II of the EYBL tipped off Friday evening at Legacy Sports Complex just outside of Phoenix and the teams and players didn't disappoint on night one. We weren't able to take in the action from every game – though we will be sure to see every team before the weekend is over – and below we extend our list of the 7 best performers we saw to then next seven.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Amier Ali, 2024, Houston Hoops</h4>   <p>Ali is a versatile wing/forward whose main impact Friday night was felt on the defensive end. His lateral mobility, combined with his length and instincts as an on-ball defender forced talented scorer [player_tooltip player_id='1502768' first='Mercy' last='Miller'] into a difficult shooting night (3-for-11 from the field). Ali is great at anticipating the drive direction of his assignment and his reaction time to closeout on pull-up jumpers is of an elite level. Ali also added 12 points and eight rebounds in Houston Hoops' overtime loss to Oakland Soldiers.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Bishop Boswell, 2024, Team CP3 </h4>   <p>Boswell was CP3's do-everything guy Friday night and his eye-test impact on the floor was confirmed by the stat sheet where he logged an impressive line of 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists to help his team to a tight victory. The 6-foot-4 guard/wing is a physical downhill driver who lives in the painted area where he can elevate and score over the top of defenders or use his frame to absorb and finish through contact. Boswell's ability to get two feet in the lane and spray the ball out to shooters is what makes him a guy who can initiate offense when needed.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='994908' first='Jacob' last='Bannarbie'], 2024, Oakland Soldiers</h4>   <p>Bannarbie, who began his basketball odyssey locally in the San Diego area, is still doing the things he jumped on the radar for. The 6-foot-8 power forward is an elite athlete with a strong frame and showed Friday that his motor was one of his strengths. Bannarbie is a menace on the offensive boards where his activity in pursuing missed shots led to a number of second chance points. Bannarbie finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds on 6-for-7 from the field. </p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Jayden Harris, 2024, Team CP3</h4>   <p>Harris' value is in his ability to stretch the floor to the three-point line. The 6-foot-6 wing is a long, wiry perimeter presence who has a smooth jumper off the catch and off the bounce. He knocked down three triples in Team CP3's win and finished with 20 points overall which included a few pull-up jumpers and drives and finishes in transition.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">Sekou Konneh, 2024, Phenom University</h4>   <p>PhenomU fell to NW Rotary Rebels but it wasn't due to a lack of production or effort from Konneh. The 6-foot-8 forward is a high-motor guy who thrives inside where he uses his quick-twitch leaping ability and length to elevate and score at the rim. Konneh is a mobile big man whose ability to get up and down the floor makes him a legitimate transition rim-runner and finisher. He was an efficient 7-for-8 from the field and also added 10 rebounds.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1502821' first='Scotty' last='Belnap'], 2024, Team Why Not </h4>   <p>Belnap was a bright spot for Team Why Not - which otherwise fell to 0-5 - with his bounce-back shooting performance. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard out of Mater Dei in Santa Ana knocked down five triples, many of which came off the catch from NBA range. Belnap's performance was a positive sign for the Los Angeles-based program.</p>   <h4 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='1125969' first='Tre' last='Johnson'], 2024, Houston Hoops</h4>   <p>Johnson, who is considered by some recruiting services as the top overall prospect in the 2024 class, showed flashes of why he's thought of as that level of prospect. The rangy 6-foot-5 wing has elite fluidity and athleticism at his size but brings plenty of skill along with it. Johnson is a shifty ball handler who can create for himself and teammates off the dribble and gets impressive lift on his mid-range jump shot. His ability to stretch the floor to the three-point line and slash his way to the rim makes him such a tough cover at this level. Johnson finished with 27 points and six rebounds in a one-point loss Friday night.</p>

MESA, Ariz. — The NIKE EYBL circuit doesn't come this far west very often, so when a short drive to see some of the top prospects from across the country presented itself, we had to make the most of the opportunity.